In a Risky Gambit, Trump Tries Brute Force to Lower Prices
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Nearly a year into his return to the White House, President Trump is aggressively using government power to try to lower persistently high prices, employing regulatory threats and punitive measures against businesses and policymakers.
- Recently, Trump intensified attacks on the Federal Reserve, including opening an investigation into its chair, aiming to pressure the central bank into rapidly cutting interest rates.
- His administration has targeted a wide range of industries—defense contractors, oil companies, banks, and real estate investors—whose practices conflict with his political objectives.
- Trump frames these actions as fulfilling his electoral mandate to reduce regulation, cut taxes, reshape global trade, and stimulate economic growth amid ongoing pandemic-related challenges.
- However, many policymakers and economists view his unpredictable and punitive
